Howard Cook created a striking contrast of old and new New York in this view of lower Manhattan. He placed the steeple of Trinity Church, which stands at the corner of Broadway and Wall Street, nearly in the center of the composition. In the foreground there are two- and three-story buildings with parked cars, all scaled to humans walking along the city street. They are in the shadows of sleek, modern skyscrapers that are so anonymous, most don’t even have windows. With the flat facades of these temples to industry, Cook wove a rhythmic pattern of light and shade, abstraction and naturalism.

Mary E. Murray

Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art

2017

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